Short Stories

Friday, May 1st, 2020 The First World War ended with the Spanish Flu in 1918. That sentence, such as it stands here, has never been written in a history book for schools. Why not? The number of those who died in that epidemic is said to have been three times greater than the number of those who died in battle. The Spanish flu has nothing to do with Spain. Did you know that? Spanish flu was brought to Europe from the United States. The mother of all pandemics, as it is also called, began when a virus at a chicken …

Thursday, the 30th Abril 2020 An Essay  by Theobald Tiger … some decisions would be made very differently. I spent a long time wondering whether I should start my story this way, or whether I should tell you this story at all. Because I can also do things very differently. So, I’d better start again and keep it short. If I were not a journalist, but instead a responsible prime minister, I would have spent these last few days thinking intensely about whether I should even be distributing state financial aid to sick companies at this point. This is a …

Wednesday, the 29th Abril 2020 by Leila Dregger On hearing of the death of a fellow actor, Madonna called the virus the “great equaliser”. The opposite is, in fact, true: the coronavirus crisis is exacerbating inequalities. International observers estimate that, in the global South, more people will die from hunger and the government’s violent enforcement of its measures than from Covid-19 itself. But hopeful news is now reaching us from some quarters: people living in slums and poor neighbourhoods are helping one another. This is now the time of sustainability and community wisdom. There have always been rays of hope …

Tuesday, the 28th Abril 2020 Message in a bottle by Stefanie Kreutzer Today I celebrate a very special anniversary. Exactly 25 years ago, I came to Portugal. Here, I feel at home and very comfortable. My friends used to ask me why Portugal and not Spain, France or Italy? My answer was then, as now, very simple. Portugal is a colourful, peace-loving country. The long period of dictatorship is a thing of the past. Portugal has been a strong democracy for 45 years. Should the economy collapse, I’ll become self-sufficient, grow potatoes, tomatoes and much more in my garden. Food …

Monday, the 27th Abril 2020 What does the term “systemic relevance” really mean? Who can guarantee that the State’s provision of short-term, life-sustaining financial support to airlines will really keep planes in the air or that their financial collapse will not happen in the near future? Besides jet fuel, TAP, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Alitalia and many other airlines – if and when they fly – will burn large amounts of government credit from May 2020 onwards, which will not make any sense either for the climate or for the economy. Investing money in black holes always goes hand in …

Sunday, the 26th Abril 2020 you have 500 words with which to tell me your story. Good morning. I’ve just woken up and discovered I’m blind. It’s still early in the morning. I open my eyes and I want to look at my phone to see what time it is. Everything’s dark. Is the phone broken or is it me…? This isn’t a dream. It’s more like a nightmare. This is real, isn’t it? I’m taking that test. I’m imagining myself having gone blind in an instant. Nothing that seemed familiar to me only moments ago is the same as …

Saturday, the 25th Abril 2020 A reflection by Dina Adão Those who know me well know that I love the Algarve: most of all, I love what this region is capable of offering those who live here and those who will choose it for their future home. And yet there’s no denying that this region also reveals a series of bad examples and bad practices, perpetrated over the years and now ingrained as bad old habits that have proved to be profitable. In 2003, when the publishing company I was working for decided to begin publication of the Guias Caleidoscópio …

Friday, the 24th Abril 2020 A reflection by Dina Adão For some years, I wandered around the “other Algarve”, listening to its older inhabitants. I would find them sitting in the town squares and gardens, in the shade of large trees, working the land or taking care of their animals. After explaining to them what my purpose was, and once they had overcome their initial distrust, we would look each other in the eyes, forget about time, and I would be overcome by the tenderness with which they listened to my questions, recounting their memories and engaging in conversation. This …

Thursday, the 23rd Abril 2020 by Leila Dregger At the beginning of this pandemic, the imprisoned journalist Julian Assange, foreseeing the imminent economic crisis, phoned Yanis Varoufakis, a former finance minister of Greece, to say, “From now on, everything is possible.” Varoufakis replied, “Yes, but also in a good way.” I think of this dialogue now that everyone is talking about how we can get back to normality. As I am still enjoying this new situation, I don’t want to go back to normality yet. I have a new hobby: I’m collecting positive news about confinement. For example, I have …

Wednesday, the 22nd Abril 2020 by Purna Lal Chuke The Nepalese government has announced a lockdown on three occasions since 24 March, 2020. The latest one is set to continue until at least 27 April. All government offices, non-governmental organisations, associations, industries, businesses, educational establishments, private hospitals and clinics are closed. Temples, mosques, churches and gumbas (Buddhist monasteries) are also closed. Central and local government are both doing their best to protect the nation’s citizens, broadcasting messages about the need to stay indoors and remain safe. The internet, mobile and telephone service providers have attached a message to the ringtone …